I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a jack storage assembly for use with automotive vehicles.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Many automotive vehicles, such as cars, trucks, SUVs and the like, include a wheel well in which a spare tire is contained. A car jack is also typically contained within the wheel well while a cover overlies the wheel well thus covering the spare tire and jack.
In order to secure both the spare tire and the jack to the vehicle to prevent rattling, vibration and the like, typically an elongated bolt is detachably secured to the wheel well so that the bolt extends upwardly through the spare tire as well as the jack. A threaded fastener, such as a wing nut, then threadably engages the top end of the bolt in order to sandwich the wheel well cover in between the fastener and the wheel well.
This previously known assembly for storing both the spare tire as well as the jack, however, has not proven wholly satisfactory in use. One disadvantage of these previously known assemblies is that the bolt is detachably secured to the wheel well. As such, it has proven difficult to position the securing bolt within the wheel well such that the securing bolt is locked against rotation. Consequently, in many situations where the spare tire has been used, the tire which is positioned within the wheel well, whether it be the spare tire or the damaged tire, is not properly secured to the vehicle thus causing rattling and vibration during the operation of the motor vehicle.
The present invention provides a jack storage assembly for automotive vehicles which overcomes all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known devices.
In brief, the jack storage assembly of the present invention comprises an inverted and generally U-shaped bracket which is secured to the bottom of the wheel well. This bracket is positioned such that the bracket extends upwardly through the hub of the tire which is positioned within the wheel well. The bracket also includes two outwardly extending tabs.
The jack storage assembly further includes a bucket adapted to contain an automotive jack. This bucket includes a bore at its lower end, and this bore includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced ribs formed around the interior of the bore. A pair of axially extending channels are formed through the ribs and these channels are dimensioned so that, with the tabs in the bracket positioned in registration with the channels, the bucket is freely axially slidably received over the bracket until a lower end of the bucket abuts against the spare tire hub. Rotation of the bucket substantially 90 degrees then moves the tabs in between adjacent ribs thus locking the bucket to the bracket against axial movement and securing the bucket and tire snugly to the wheel well.
Thereafter, a cover is positioned over the wheel well so that the cover overlies both the bucket and the spare tire. The cover includes a through opening which registers with an upper end of the bucket while a fastener then is detachably secured to the upper end of the bucket so that the cover is sandwiched in between the fastener and the bucket. Preferably, the fastener includes a bayonet coupling which is received within a bayonet opening at the upper end of the bucket.
Preferably, the bucket as well as the fastener is constructed of plastic for inexpensive yet durable construction.